Room 515, Cosmology Building, National Taiwan University + Cisco WebEx, Physical+Online Seminar
(實體+線上演講 台灣大學次震宇宙館515研討室+ Cisco WebEx)
Electric Double Layer Composed of an Antagonistic Salt in an Aqueous Mixture: Local Charge Separation and Surface Phase Transition
Shunsuke Yabunaka (Japan Atomic Energy Agency)
Abstract:
We examine an electric double layer containing an antagonistic salt in an aqueous mixture, where the cations are small and hydrophilic but the anions are large and hydrophobic. In this situation, a strong coupling arises between the charge density σ and the solvent composition. As a result, the anions are trapped in an oil-rich adsorption layer on a hydrophobic wall. We then vary the surface charge density on the wall. For σ > 0 the anions remain accumulated, but for σ < 0 the cations are attracted to the wall with increasing |σ|. Furthermore, the electric potential drop Ψ(σ) is nonmonotonic when the solvent interaction parameter χ(T) exceeds a critical value χc determined by the composition and the ion density in the bulk. This leads to a first-order phase transition between two kinds of electric double layers with different σ and common Ψ . In equilibrium such two-layer regions can coexist. The steric effect due to finite ion sizes is crucial in these phenomena.
Meeting number (access code): 2510 736 0118
Meeting password: DZadMTPf367 (39236873 when dialing from a phone or video system)
Organizers: Tai-Chia Lin (NTU) & Min-Jhe Lu (NTHU)